Expert Geological Services
Sedimentological analysis and training solutions
About Ichnostrat Consulting
Expert Geological Services
Ichnostrat Consulting was first formed in 2017, to fill a gap in the market for detailed, high-resolution core description underpinned by process sedimentological and ichnolological principles. Ichnostrat's philosophy is that a comprehensive high-resolution core description forms the framework for all subsequent geological analysis. After all, conventional core represents the most 'in-tact' piece of the reservoir geoscientists can routinely handle and sample!
As the world moves to an increasingly digitalised, machine-learning driven approach to exploration, Ichnostrat have evolved to become experts in Core digitalisation and visualisation techniques, all while honouring our love of process sedimentology and ichnological analysis.
At Ichnostrat, we believe that petrographic analysis is a fundamental part of sedimentology, rather than a separate discipline. Analysis of thin sections and utilising scanning electron microscopes helps to understand your reservoir at the micro and nanno-scale, all while linking back to the framework of detailed core-derived facies and data.
The final step in linking the different scales of reservoir analysis is upscaling core facies into conceptual models, using ancient and modern analogues. A core part (excuse the pun) of Ichnostrat's business is the delivery of field training courses focusing on subsurface analogues.
Field Analogue Courses
Understanding your reservoir or prospect
Field analogues help exploration and production geologists to better understand the geometry and architecture of their reservoirs. They can ground truth facies models and also help understand the role of auto- and allocyclic processes, thereby also improving understanding on stratigraphic constraints.
The real value of field courses is the opportunity to get your multi-disciplinary teams together, discussing the challenges of your reservoir or prospect, in front of seismic scale outcrops. Heterogeneity can be discussed from the bed scale to the field scale. Ichnostrat positively encourages you to bring your own data to aid discussions. Some brief info on our main courses below:
Basque Basin, northern Spain - Working through a transect from proximal, coarse grained channelised turbidites, through stacked depositional lobes, onto the thin bedded fan fringe and hemipelagites of the basin plain, this course focuses on assessing the impact gravity flow processes have on submarine fan architecture and reservoir scale heterogeneity. Taking bookings for 2026!
Jurassic Coast, Dorset, UK - 3 day short course investigating shallow marine processes and ichnology to understand the distribution of reservoir facies in coastal to shelfal settings. Ideal analogue for the Ula, Fulmar and Hugin formations! Available very soon!